The invention relates generally to an incubator system, such as for premature infants, that monitors the infant and its environment.
Over the years, a number of devices have been developed for caring for an infant in a hospital care environment. As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, one of the best-known devices for infant care, such as of a premature infant or an otherwise delicate or sick infant, is an incubator. The incubator is utilized to provide an infant a controlled environment, wherein the environment within the incubator, such as, for example, the temperature, humidity, and oxygen content, may be monitored and controlled.
The vital signs of the infant in the incubator, for example, temperature, respiration rate, pulse, and other physiological parameters, may be monitored via sensors to evaluate the condition of the infant. For example, a temperature of the infant in the incubator may be monitored via a transducer, such as a temperature sensor, that may be attached to the infant. However, the attachment of the transducer to the infant may disadvantageously lead to several limitations such as the inadvertent detachment of the sensor by infant movement, and may also limit the movement of the infant. Additionally, the leads employed to attach the various transducers to the infant may cause bruising of the tender skin of the infant in the incubator. Furthermore, the length of the lead wires may interfere with a caregiver providing timely critical care to the infant. In addition, if the leads wires are long, the lead wires may get dirty or contaminated, such as by being dragged on the floor, and may thereby lead to unhygienic conditions for the infant.
It would be desirable to reduce the number and length of lead wires used in infant monitoring. Furthermore, it may be desirable to develop a technique that efficiently monitors the vital signs of the infant in the incubator.